Max Verstappen has given his strongest indication yet that he will not prolong his Formula 1 career as others have done. The likes of Fernando Alonso (41) and Lewis Hamilton (38) are still racing competitively in F1 and are showing no signs of wanting to quit the sport. At 25, Verstappen already has 171 Grand Prix starts under his belt, having debuted in the sport at just 17 years old. After winning the last two World Championships, Verstappen looks set to continue that streak this year, having won six of the eight races so far in 2023, but said that even unbroken success would not keep him in F1 for the long haul. "Some people love racing because that’s the only thing they do," Verstappen told Forbes . "I love racing, but I also want to do other things and not only Formula 1 at some stage. "Of course, I know that this is the pinnacle and the highest you can achieve, but you also set a bit of a different perspective. "Now that I've won two titles, it's nice to win another one and another one, but basically it's the same thing. It's not something that will keep me here forever."
Verstappen keen for more family time
Verstappen has previously voiced his opposition to the expansionof the Formula 1 calendar, which has grown to 22 races this year, up from 19 in 2015when he debuted in the sport. The Dutchman added that with so much time spent on the roadduring the F1 season, he was conscious of missing out on time spent with lovedones. "It's more about if I can motivate myself every single year tothe fullest, because with the race calendar being so long, you're away fromfamily and friends a lot," he explained. "What is more important: is it winning races and being away fromthem, or is it actually being at home and spending time with those dearest andclosest to you in a time in your life when you're fully fit, very active and canstill do anything you want? "Maybe if you look back at it and if you stayed in F1 untilyou're 40 or whatever, it might be that you were like, 'Maybe I stayed too longand didn't spend enough time with my close ones,' so it's still somethingthat's a big question mark for me and how long I will stay in the sport."
Most read
